TMNT First Date
by mysteryred
Summary: TMNT Beautiful Mistakes One Shot. In Chapter 39 Zoë encouraged Leo to spend some time alone with Karai to figure out what they mean to each other. So Leo asks Karai to hang out with him. Leorai. I do not own TMNT.


**Leonardo**

_I can do this. I can. I mean I'm a leader of an elite team of ninjas of course I can do this. I talk to her every day… just not like this. _

I'm pacing back and forth in front of her bedroom door, it's open so it's not like she can't see me.

_Maybe she's ignoring me. She's probably hoping I'll just go away. _

"Leo?"

My heart jerks at the sound of her voice and my legs seem to liquefy as I trip over my own feet then struggle to catch myself.

"Wow, you are just all kinds of ninja grace, aren't you?" she snickers, and the sound, although devious, is as gratifying to me as the clash of steel blades, and I immediately want to hear it again.

Swallowing the lump in my throat I stand up, finding her leaning on her door frame with one hand on her hip. It's been a few weeks since she traded in her blonde highlights for electric blue, and that paired with her new matching eye make-up, still leaves me breathless. I rub the back of my neck, clear my throat then try to laugh her off.

"Ha, ha, yeah, uh, I, ahem-"

_I can do this, I can do this. _

She raises a perfect dark eyebrow, her milk chocolate colored eyes flickering with mischief as I find myself wondering at the gentle fawn colored streaks throughout them, if maybe they represent the kind-hearted side of this girl, the side I've seen more often since Zoe and Exodus arrived.

_Can the color of someone's eyes reflect the spirit within them? _

"Hello, Leonardo? You're acting really weird." Her eyes narrow and she lowers her voice, "Is there something going on that you need," her voice drops even more and she makes a face, like someone is twisting her arm, as she struggles to behave like a concerned friend should, "to talk about, or something?"

_Now, speak now, Leo. _

But I just stand there picking at the paint on the doorframe, internally kicking myself for listening to Zoe. I've liked Karai for so long, and we've been through so much... _But what if she doesn't feel the same way? _

My heart is racing, my mouth is dry, and if I don't stop shaking I may need to sit down. _This is awful._ I've battled aliens in alternate dimensions that weren't as scary as this, and she's just a girl… well not just _a_ girl. She's Karai, the very striking and skilled kunoichi that has been steadily tightening a vice around my heart with every sassy remark and flick of her sword. No, she's not just any girl, she's _the_ girl… I think I'm gonna be sick.

_Captain Ryan would never act like this. Get it together!_

"Karai, would you want to hang out with me tonight?"

_There that wasn't so bad. _

_But what if she says no?  
_  
With my heart slamming against my plastron and my pride at stake, my eyes dart over her face, terrified of looking her in the eye but determined not to look away.

I wait… and wait… _and_ wait.

_What is she doing?_

She's staring at me.

I can't make sense of her expression because I'm trying to prepare myself for a rejection that seems more and more inevitable with every passing second. I'm so nervous I can't feel my face for all the tingling. Then the corners of her thin lips tip up slightly, forming a smirk that makes me squirm all the more.

"Sure Leo, what'd ya have in mind?"

_She said yes. _

_YES! _

_Okay, now what? _

_She said yes. What was my plan for that? Did I plan for yes or just no? No, no, I planned for both. Whew. Breathe Leo._

My heart is racing like Donnie after a pot of coffee, yet I give her a playful grin and a casual shrug, to let her know this is no big deal. "I was thinking we'd eat dinner at Murakami's, then there's this place I like to go sometimes. I thought maybe-"

_What? What were you thinking Leo? It's not like you can take her any place in public._

But as my voice faltered and my mind sparred with itself, she rescued me and I hated myself for it. I'm the hero. I should be cool, calm and collected, not scatterbrained, jittery and fumbling.

"That sounds great Leo, why don't I meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes?"

Unable to form a sentence, I bob my head and practically run away from her. I hear the bedroom door shut as I stumble over my feet on my way down the stairs, missing a step and tumbling down the last five, before skidding to a stop on my plastron, right at Raph's feet.

_Great._

He raises an eye ridge, "Smooth moves there Fearless."

I pointed back toward the stairs, "Quick, Raph! I thought I saw SpyRoach!"

Raph's eyes widened and he jerked back from the steps.

"Where? Where is that disgusting little… I'll smash the shell out of it!"

Collecting myself, I leave Raph searching everywhere to find the bug, and walk over to the pinball machine to play a game while I wait for Karai.

I'm pretty sure it was more like ten minutes than fifteen but I'm not complaining as I abandon my game and we head for the turn styles. Karai leapt over one and I grabbed a blue hoodie that was draped across another.

"What's up with the human garb there Leo?" She asked, taking it from me so I could remove my katana and leave them in its place.

"You'll see, well more like I don't want humans to see me. Here, I'm ready for it now." I pulled it on, zipping it up and lifting the hood over my head.

"Hmmm, you probably should add a pair of jeans to that get up," she glanced at me over her shoulder and I couldn't read her expression because the tunnel ahead of us was dark.

We surfaced just outside of Murakami's. She seemed surprised when I told her I'd ordered carryout, collected our dinner, paid and left.

As we boarded the ferry and she followed me to the darkest corner I could find, she tilted her head to the side, pursed her lips and questioned me.

"Where exactly, are you taking me?"

"You'll see," I replied, stepping closer to her so that the fabric of my hoodie brushed her shoulder.

She looked out over the water and her eyes softened. I noticed the usual thin line of her mouth still held that slight smirk from earlier. _She looks… happy._

The further the ferry took us from the city, I found the knot in my heart unraveling and my breaths came a little easier. We were taking a step back, away from the chaos of our family at home, stealing a small bit of distance from the constant battle for our lives, and with the bay lulling and rocking against the sides of the battered boat, time seemed to slow and so did the rhythm of my heart.

Once the ferry docked we made our way, strolling along the park pier. The lights along the path lent a soft golden glow against the night sky, forming a misty haze in the sea dampened air surrounding us.

"This way," I said, gently taking her silky skinned hand and leading her slightly uphill to rest under the cover of a cluster of trees. Unzipping my hoodie, I laid it on the ground then sat opposite, motioning for her to sit on it.

As I opened the bag of takeout, she sat down, not saying anything and I hoped she didn't mind that we weren't eating in a restaurant or going to a movie. Even though a movie is something I'm pretty sure I could manage. But I wanted to talk to her. I just wanted to be me getting to know the other side of her.

"The view from here is, just-" she gazed ahead of her at the sprawling New York City skyline, bright white lights outlining the skyscrapers, the sky a moonless swirl of purples and blues a smattering of smoky gray clouds spread across it.

With her eyes on the city, and mine on her, I found visions of the past toying with my head and tugging at my heart. I had hurt for her in so many ways, watching her suffer through being a mutant was the worst, and damn the helplessness I felt at not being able to do anything but be there for her. I'd uncovered the truth of her past and brought her home, reuniting her with her real father, but the confusion of learning her entire life had been a lie caused an already guarded girl to build a fortress around her and I wondered if I was enough to break down those walls.

"Leo, aren't you going to eat?"

I realized I was holding a gyoza in my chopsticks just inches from my mouth as I stared at her like a love struck puppy.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I resent the heat in my cheeks right now, I should be making conversation, but I can't stop looking at her.

_Just say something Leo, anything._

"So how was life as a mutant snake?"

_Not that!_

Her head whipped around, brown eyes flashing, "I don't know, how was being in a coma for three months?"

Raising a palm to my face I shook my head, "I'm so sorry Karai." I sighed, peeking through my fingers, shocked to see her eyes sparkling as she struggled not to laugh.

"Lighten up Leo. I get it. This is kind of hard for me too. It's not every day that a girl changes teams, finds her real family, becomes a mutant snake, gets cured from that, _and _falls for a mutant turtle."

My heart is slamming against my plastron, if I didn't think I could breathe before, I may just pass out now. " I'm ssssorrry, you what?"

She's getting to her knees, scooting the food aside, and I'm frozen, unable to move, or speak and forget thinking. She stands over me and I look up at her, swallowing repeatedly and wondering if I misheard her.

"You heard me."

Her eyes look glossy and for a fraction of a second I wonder – _No, Karai wouldn't…_ she blinks repeatedly and I reach out for her, "What's wrong?"

As she shakes her head the blue of her hair dances with the black and I resist the urge to touch it, aching to know how soft it must be.

She pulls one hand to her heart, tapping her fingers lightly over her chest as she struggles for words, "I'm not good at this, but, there's something I want you to know and-"

_Those are tears in her eyes. Oh, Karai, don't. Please._

She seems to steel herself and somehow the tears do not escape her as she takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye.

"Thank you Leo, for helping me to see the truth, for reuniting me with my father, for always coming for me," her lip trembled and she bit it hard, but never looked away, "How is it that you see me? Because I know that you do and no matter what I've said or done, you've always," she took a deep breath, "you just," her eyes welled again and I reached up a hand to the side of her face pulling her to me.

"I knew there was goodness in you Karai, I saw it," I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her jasmine scent and my heart swelled, "I feel it every day that I'm with you... and I believe in you, I've always believed in you."

She swiped at a tear I'm sure I wasn't meant to see, sniffed and straightened her shoulders, "If you tell anyone I will hurt you."

Unable to help myself I grin, but manage to suppress a laugh, "Tell anyone what?" I gave her a light squeeze, "That you are a good person? Good luck trying to keep that a secret."

I held her, debating with myself because she was in my arms and I didn't want to ruin that but I had to hear her say it again, just to be sure. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat and against everything my heart was telling me I asked her, "So you're falling for me, huh?"

She tensed then pulled away from me and I knew I'd screwed up. With a gaze so sharp it I considered checking myself for wounds she snapped, "Don't get full of yourself Leo. Just because I have feelings doesn't mean I'm going to…"

Her voice trailed off as I smiled at her, my heart overflowing from her confirmation, my mind reeling at her confession and my eyes savoring the sass of her bucking up to me in a way that I found irresistible.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Her head turned slightly, her eyes narrowing.

"Like what?" I whispered, reaching out to her with a trembling hand to run my fingers along her cheek, desperate to hear beyond the drumming of blood rushing in my ears.

Her eyelids fluttered as my face lingered near hers, and I noticed her breaths shortening as she struggled to answer me, "All bright eyed and glowing."

"Because I feel the same way," I murmured, wishing I could suspend time to make the next moment last, but knowing I could not, I inhaled deeply breathing in her jasmine scent, tasting the honey on her sweet lips, feeling the silky strands of her ebony blue hair tangle around my fingers, and relishing the openness in her liquid chocolate eyes, impressing every second of it in my memory so I could live this night over and over.


End file.
